Movie Review: ‘No County For Old Men’ oozes conviction

Josh Brolin is no longer a Goonie. His performances in last year’s “Grindhouse” and “American Gangster” certified his up-and-coming status as an actor. In “No Country for Old Men,” Brolin has officially arrived.

And he isn’t even the best thing about the film. Heck, he isn’t even the second best.

The writing and direction by Joel and Ethan Coen (“Fargo”, “O, Brother Where Art Thou?”) are impeccable and forces the mind to dissect the plot (in a good way) long after taking it in.

And NCFOM’s four-star rating can mostly be accredited to one of the best villainous turns in cinematic history. Anton Chigurh (which fittingly sounds kind of like sugar) is a “principled” assassin who nonchalantly kills his victims with an air-compressed gun usually used to kill cattle. Looking a bit like Robert Downey, Jr., his monotone voice is like that of “Silence of the Lambs” lead Buffalo Bill. He’s ludicrously scary.

Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) is hunting deer by the Rio Grande when he stumbles upon a drug deal gone awry. The poor welder finds dead bodies, drugs and eventually $2 million. He leaves with the cash, but returns to the scene to deliver some water to a surviving drug dealer. If only he had stayed at home.

Involved in tracking down Moss and the cash, which ultimately turns into tracking down Chigurh — whose body count reached 14 according to this critic’s gruesome tally, are: The Mexicans whose deal went wrong, the unassuming Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a businessman who has interest in the cash, and bounty hunter/Chigurh authority Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson).

The dialogue is presented as a dance (as it should be, this film is adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel). This wouldn’t be the waltz though; it would have to be the tango.

In one scene, Chigurh is having a conversation with a convenience mart clerk and it becomes quickly apparent that he is going to kill the man for no reason at all. He asks the country fellow to call a coin toss (for his life). The simplicity is eloquent. To watch conversational genius, with murderous implications, is much more interesting than your run of the mill Jason Bourne chase.

Usually movies with killing revolve around a raucous soundtrack and crazy special effects — anticipate neither here. As a matter of fact there is no sound or music until the end. You are forced to listen to Chigurh as he saunters down the hallway in his socks on the stalk. Every time a gun goes off you’re left with your thoughts instead of a distracting BOOM, BANG or POW. And when man faces beast panting can be heard instead of a violin (thank goodness!).

Tommy Lee Jones’ character’s off-handed observations are Oscar-worthy. As a longtime lawman and life observer he is stymied by what’s become of the world. While eating breakfast with his partner one a.m. they discuss how they never thought they’d walk amongst people with “green hair and bones in their noses” (remember this film’s set in the ‘80s). “This country’s hard on people,” says the sheriff. Hopefully not as hard as Chigurh is.

The ending might be the film’s only flaw — though iffy, it has the conviction this entire film oozes.

Senior cost of admission: $6. Popcorn from the snack bar: $4. Any thriller that provokes you to stop and smell the flower: Priceless.

Adrienne Mackey is a freelance movie critic. Comment on this review online at www.gvnews.com.

The details

4/4 Stars

Crime-Drama

Run time: 2 hours, 2 minutes.

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Barden, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald.

Written by: Joel and Ethan Coen.

Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen.